A's could have trouble getting on DirecTV

Six weeks from opening day, the A's have a potentially major off-field issue they have no power to solve.

As of now, nobody can say for certain that the A's 145 televised regular-season games will be available to hundreds of thousands of DirecTV subscribers in the Bay Area. DirecTV could negotiate a deal to carry the games on Comcast SportsNet California. But that's hardly a lock amid tense negotiations between CSN and DirecTV over millions of dollars in rights fees.

Earlier this month, the A's announced a switch from CSN Bay Area to Sacramento-based CSN California, promoting it as a bright new era in which they will have more games televised than ever before (and 75 in high-definition). But DirecTV officials indicated that although they carry CSN California on Channel 698, they haven't agreed to carry the games.

CSN vice president of public relations Tim Fitzpatrick said, "We are making the games available for distribution to their customers. There's nothing on our end that prohibits DirecTV from carrying the games. We can't make them carry those games, but there's nothing on our end that prevents them."

DirecTV's director of public relations, Robert Mercer, says CSN has not made an offer regarding A's games. In fact, Mercer says CSN hasn't even officially notified DirecTV of the A's move.

"If that's their plan and they provide us with official notification, we'll certainly talk to them about it," he said.

So the sides can't agree on whether they're talking. And the A's are a small bargaining chip in a huge battle over rights fees for CSN Bay Area, the essential station for sports fans.

Advertisement

Ken Pries, the A's vice president of broadcasting, remains optimistic.

"I have total trust in what Comcast is doing, and I believe that there is a little bit of gamesmanship going on between both parties right now because they are in negotiations," he said. "This is part of normal negotiations. Things get a little difficult before a decision is made."

DirecTV's contract with CSN Bay Area ended Dec. 31. DirecTV has sent notice of its intent to file for binding arbitration with the Federal Communications Commission over Comcast's demand for a 40 percent rate increase.

Neither side would disclose financial details or its subscriber numbers. But Derek Baine, an analyst at research firm SNL Kagan, estimates that DirecTV was paying $1.91 per month per subscriber for CSNBA. A 40 percent increase would represent an additional $9.17 per year.

If the Bay Area matches DirecTV's national 15 percent market share, that would be 360,000 of 2.4 million Bay Area households.

On the back of this napkin, Comcast wants $3.3 million more of DirecTV's money.

Both sides are being a tad disingenuous. DirecTV says it has received no official notice, but news articles from January quote DirecTV executives saying CSN Bay Area is asking for a 40 percent hike while reducing its programming by a third. They cite the station's plans to move the A's and eventually the Sharks to CSN California. Also, DirecTV last week suggested it would black out the games in accordance with rules about out-of-market regional sports network; Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said Monday that territorial rights are based on where the team is located, not the station, and DirecTV is free to show the games.

CSN's Fitzpatrick wouldn't give details when asked what "making the games available" means — whether there are rights fees or other strings attached. Company officials also insist CSN is a separate entity and negotiates without regard to parent company Comcast's competitive position. That makes sense — to anyone who also believes Wall Street bonuses are OK because they come from the revenue pool and not the bailout pool.

These standoffs often end at the last minute. But sometimes, they don't end.

Perhaps the most relevant example is in Portland, where Comcast bought a station and re-branded it as CSN Northwest two years ago. The channel — the home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers — remains unavailable on DirecTV.

If both sides are willing to use the immensely popular Blazers as a pawn, they wouldn't be scared about doing it to the low-profile A's.